Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Turkey)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey
Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Dışişleri Bakanlığı
	; Statue of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Embassy of Turkey, Washington, D.C.
Agency overview
Formed	2 May 1920; 104 years ago
Jurisdiction	Government of Turkey
Headquarters	Dr. Sadık Ahmet Cad.; Balgat, Ankara
Annual budget	₺5.786.984.000 (2021)
Minister responsible	Hakan Fidan;
Deputy Ministers responsible	Burak Akçapar; Yasin Ekrem Serim; Mehmet Kemal Bozay; Ahmet Yıldız;
Website	www.mfa.gov.tr

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Turkish: Dışişleri Bakanlığı) is the governmental body responsible for conducting foreign relations of the Republic of Turkey. The Ministry is responsible for Turkey's diplomatic missions abroad as well as providing support for Turkish citizens and promoting Turkish culture. The ministry implements Turkish foreign policy in accordance with the country's national interests. Established on 2 May 1920, its primary duties are administering diplomatic missions, negotiating international treaties and agreements, and representing the Republic of Turkey at the United Nations.^[2] The ministry is headquartered in the Turkish capital of Ankara^[3] and counts on more than 200 missions as embassies, permanent representation offices and consulates general, abroad. As of 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains 235 diplomatic posts worldwide. The current Minister of Foreign Affairs is Hakan Fidan, who has held the position since 3 June 2023.

Diplomatic missions

The Ministry oversees Turkey's diplomatic missions abroad, which include embassies, consulates, and representative offices in over 200 countries and territories.

Gender equality

As of April 2023, 42% of Turkey's ambassadors and 15% of Turkey's consuls-general are women. That is, 72 women out of 172 ambassadors, and 14 women out of 97 consuls-general.^{[note 1]}^[4]

Organization

Office of the Minister

This is the top-level of the MFA hierarchy and is responsible for managing the overall operations of the ministry. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is assisted by three Deputy Ministers and several advisors.

Central organization

Political Affairs department is responsible for the development and implementation of Turkey's foreign policy. It analyzes international political developments, conducts research, and provides policy recommendations to the government.
Economic Affairs department is responsible for promoting Turkey's economic interests abroad. It works to increase trade and investment, improve economic relations with other countries, and support Turkish businesses operating abroad.
EU Affairs department is responsible for Turkey's relations with the European Union (EU). It coordinates Turkey's accession negotiations with the EU and monitors EU policies that affect Turkey's interests.
Multilateral Political Affairs department is responsible for Turkey's participation in international organizations such as the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Consular Affairs department provides consular services to Turkish citizens abroad and foreign nationals in Turkey. It issues passports and visas, provides assistance to Turkish nationals in emergency situations, and works to protect the rights of Turkish citizens abroad.
Cultural Affairs department is responsible for promoting Turkish culture and language abroad. It organizes cultural events, supports Turkish language instruction in foreign countries, and facilitates academic and cultural exchanges between Turkey and other countries.
Protocol department is responsible for managing official visits by foreign dignitaries and organizing events hosted by the MFA. It also provides logistical support to Turkish diplomatic missions abroad.
Overseas Promotion and Public Diplomacy department is responsible for promoting Turkey's image abroad and improving its relations with foreign publics. It conducts public diplomacy activities, manages Turkish cultural centers abroad, and coordinates public relations efforts with Turkish diplomatic missions.

Field offices

The ministry runs field offices in the following cities:

Overseas organization

Turkish embassies, consulates-general, permanent representatives, and trade offices are semi-detached from the central organization. They follow the orders of the Minister's office, and the chief of mission is the sole authority within an overseas diplomatic mission. In the Turkish MFA, an ambassador is the chief of an embassy or a permanent representative. An ambassador would also be the chief of the sole Turkish trade office abroad in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Consulates-general are headed by diplomats called consuls-general.

Major issues

Main Issues^[5]
Cyprus Dispute
Turkey and the EU
Turkey's Security (NATO)
Terrorism
Controversy between Turkey and Armenia about the Events of 1915
Energy Issues
Water Issues
Environment Policy
The Turkish Straits
Resolution of Conflicts and Mediation
Arms Control and Disarmament
Turkish Citizens Living Abroad
Turkey’s Multilateral Transportation Policy
Human Rights
Turkey on Irregular Migration
Turkey on Trafficking in Human Beings
Combating Drugs
Combating Organized Crime
Combating Corruption
Turkey’s Humanitarian Assistance
Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Turkey
Maritime Issues
The Alliance of Civilizations Initiative
Asia Anew Initiative

International organizations

Republic of Turkey is a member of 26 international organizations. The contact between these organizations and Turkey is maintained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

List of international organizations
Name of the international organization	Status of Republic of Turkey
Asia Cooperation Dialogue	Member
African Union	Observer Member
Black Sea Naval Force	Member
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States	Non-member, quartet meetings on UN General Assembly
Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia	Member
Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation	Founding Member
Council of Europe	Member
D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation	Member
Economic Cooperation Organization	Member
International Criminal Court	Non-member, annual meetings attended by Turkish officials
Arab League	Non-member, diplomatic relations between Arab League and Turkey
MIKTA	Member
NATO	Member
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation	Member
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe	Signatory
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development	Member
Union for the Mediterranean	Member
United Nations	Member
United Nations Department of Peace Operations	Member
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization	Member
Organization of Turkic States	Member
International Organization of Turkic Culture	Member
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas	Member
Organization of American States
OPEC

List of foreign ministers

This is a list of ministers of foreign affairs of Turkey.

Awards

Since 1989, the Ministry awards people and organizations that have demonstrated distinguished services.^[6]

References

^ https://www.sbb.gov.tr/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2a-2021-Yili-Genel-Butceli-idareler-Ekonomik-Kod-icmali-ile-2022_2023-Gider-Tahminleri.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ Brief History of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey. Rep. of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
^ "Contact Us." Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
^ "The background of gender equality policies in Turkey" (PDF). United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
^ "From Rep. of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs". Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
^ "Distinguished Service Award of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs". www.mfa.gov.tr. Retrieved 14 November 2022.

^ Ambassador-level missions overseas are made up of 13 permanent delegates, a trade representative, and 159 embassies; totaling to 172 ambassadors. This statistic excludes Turkey's domestic ambassador-level posts, such as general directors or political advisers.

External links

Official website (in English)
Official website (in Turkish)

[1] ttps://www.sbb.gov.tr/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2a-2021-Yili-Genel-Butceli-idareler-Ekonomik-Kod-icmali-ile-2022_2023-Gider-Tahminleri.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[2] Brief History of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey. Rep. of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 9 December 2013.

[3] "Contact Us." Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 26 August 2010.

[5] "The background of gender equality policies in Turkey" (PDF). United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

[6] "From Rep. of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs". Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 8 January 2021.

[7] "Distinguished Service Award of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs". www.mfa.gov.tr. Retrieved 14 November 2022.

[4] Ambassador-level missions overseas are made up of 13 permanent delegates, a trade representative, and 159 embassies; totaling to 172 ambassadors. This statistic excludes Turkey's domestic ambassador-level posts, such as general directors or political advisers.

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